The K2

Can this storyline be any better? No. Can there be such a better strong female antagonist? Definitely not. I loved the fact that this drama kept the typical k drama romance aside and really flourished a UNIQUE COMPLEX never seen before chemistry between protagonist male and antagonist female. Bravo to the actress playing Choi Yoon. Would have rated this drama a solid 6 without her in it. I was confused about what Kim Je Ha actually thought about Choi Yoon though. How come he asked nothing about her to Mirror? Well, I was in cloud 9 after watching this. I hope u will be too!

I've watched this drama a long time ago, and even after all this time there's something about The K2 that just simply remains in the air. What makes this drama taste different is the complex relationship between the hero, lead actor Ji Chang Wook, and the antihero Song Yun-ah. Unexpected. And their acting skills. Superb. Scenography, storyline and cast are ok most of the time, and impressive on a few occasions, the action scenes seriously well done (lead actor is impressive in combat skills and stunts) and the plot really captivating. The antagonists in this drama are interesting and well portrayed, but the real magic happens when the hero K2 and Madame Choi take the scene. As actors, they excelled. On their own and together. The evolution of their relationship in the drama is unexpected, hard to understand at first, atypical. The character of Madame Choi is something you won't forget easily... If you really understand what's going on. One of the most brilliant antihero out there. Worth watching.

I had to do a lot of math to arrive at my rating for this show. My overall impressions of the plot, script, cast, acting, filmography and soundtrack landed it an 8.5 for the baseline material, which was generally very solid and well executed.

However, I had to add 1 star purely for the absolutely riveting performances delivered by Ji ChanWook (K2) and Song YunAh (Choi YooJin), which propelled the story into a whole new stratosphere. Frankly, Song YunAh could have carried the entire film on her performance alone. I have never seen a more tragic and broken villain, or a more believable portrayal of so many raw and opposing simultaneous emotions (tears+laughter, defiance+betrayal, menace+fragility). I was completely floored!

I also added 0.5 stars for the excellent choreography of the fight scenes (which were plentiful). I would have added a whole star, but sadly, around half the scenes were shot in ways that made it hard to appreciate/follow the action. However, the ones that were clear were quite brilliant. The group shower fight scene in particular was outstanding and original, both in terms of concept and content (all those abs and biceps didn't hurt either!). Watch it on half speed if you want to really appreciate it!

Unfortunately, I then had to turn around and deduct 0.5 stars for the awkwardness of the initial romance scenes (though the later scenes get better). It's not that I found the chemistry to be as lacking as many viewers said. It was just poorly conveyed, IMO (both how it was written and edited). Additionally, Anna's subtle character (who is supposed to be fragile, fearful, and comparatively helpless) just doesn't match the feral intensity of the power-hungry characters around her (especially YooJin), which could in turn create the perception of a lackluster romantic dynamic.

Lastly, I had to also deduct 1 star for all the camera wobble (starting about 3/4 way through). Which is truly sad, because there were so many scenes which were beautifully acted, but it was hard to focus on the emotion coming through or the action taking place because the shaking screen messes with your eyes so much.

So in the end, I ended up back at an overall 8.5 stars (rounded up to 9), though there is 10 stars worth of great content, if you can get through the 7 star moments! Highly recommended!

The Series was good. The acting was absolutely amazing. It went downhill everytime it comes to scene between the Lead Actor Ji Chang Wook and weekly portrayed character of the heroin,Go Anna (Im yoon ah). It was pain to watch them trying too hard, yet cannot beat the chemistry between the lead male and the lead female antagonist, Choi Yoo Jin (Song Yoon Ah) The series was on the peak eventho just few episodes in the beginning and went straight downhill after gave one episode for the hero n heroin to work they way in convincing audience that they are in love. The director tried so hard portraying the heroin as a beautiful,ie angel of Barcelona etc. but the reality was she is not. Even the lead antagonist actress which is 17 years older than her outshine her too easily.

In sad scenes btwn hero and heroin, no tears flowed. As the love doesn't feel real. But the scenes btwn the hero and lady antagonist, let it be love, respect,or just friendship, when their eyes met every one can feel the powerful tensions of care.

We agreed if they change the actress who played the heroin to a better acting, prettier, charismatic actress then we wont mind the story line.

Or they can tweak so the romance is between Hero and the lead antagonist. It will be like the amazing Hollywood film THE BODYGUARD but better with its own twists and turns.Hence it will stuck strong in our heart, better viewing ratings, and will stand proud, unforgettable among the most amazing kdrama.

Of course I love Ji Chang-Wook (who doesn't?), however in this series I loved Yun-ah Song who plays Choi Yoo-jin. Both the script and the play for her character were at the highest level, and this kept me watching and watching and watching until towards the end of episode 16. Kim Je-ha is non plausible in plenty of situations, Anna is not bad, but unnaturally full of wisdom after an entire life of complete wisdom-less, the others either laugh like cows when they shouldn't or behave like clowns when the situation requires a completely different attitude. Yun-ah is amazing, Dong-mi and Sung-ha are kind of ok, the others are pathetic. The script is not bad, but the other guys make it ridiculous.